Sometimes, the term PC only refers to The Protagonist, particularly if they are created by the player, while NPC is used even for other party members who the player still controls but are preexisting characters within the game world, rather than a personal avatar. For more information on possible PC/NPC party configurations, see Player Character Calculus.

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It's a curious thing, but most PCs in tabletop RPGs have a sort of personality archetype that applies regardless of the genre of the game the PCs are in or the personalities of the people playing them. They tend to be:

Sociopathic, only caring about what benefits the party (or in some cases, just themselves)

Self-important, often striding into the spotlight regardless of how appropriate that would be to the situation they're in

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